An adult take on the old fairy tale Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, has been in the works for a while. It was supposed to come out earlier this year but was booted to January 2013 a few months ago. Now we know why: The studio apparently has two versions of the film, and no clue which one to release.
Collider is reporting that Paramount has been testing both R-rated and PG-13 cuts of the flick, and they still don't know what the heck to do with the thing.
According to a thread on IMDB with folks who claim to have seen the different versions, the R-rated version is carrying the majority of positive buzz, while the toned-down cut apparently doesn't have enough teeth to be interesting.
So release the R-rated version, right? Well, films like these typically play well with teenagers, and Paramount is likely worried that even a better, R-rated version could perform worse than a weaker, PG-13 version at the box office. Sad, yes, but it's the nature of the beast.
One alleged test screener had this to say about the quirky, violent R-rated cut:
"I really enjoyed this one. It was different, violent, pretty funny- Sort of like Drive Angry 3D or Scott Pilgrim humor, and I thought everyone did well. It kind of felt like they nailed the ancient humor the way 'Your Highness' was supposed too but didn't."Hmm, definitely sounds like that version would be a lot more interesting to see. Plus, now that Renner is becoming a bona fide movie star, even an R-rated version could do all right, so long as his name is at the top of it. What do you think? Are you hoping for the bloodier version?
(Via Collider)
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